Fastenable and unfastenable athletic sock for fitting over athletic protective equipment

ABSTRACT

An athletic sock in the form of a standard cotton sports sock includes a longitudinal slit defining opposed edges that can be fastened and unfastened for stretching the athletic sock over athletic protective equipment disposed on the individual&#39;s lower leg, and for removal therefrom. Each edge includes a closure member that can be hook and loop fasteners or a zipper to facilitate the stretching of the sock over the athletic protective equipment, and the closure members can brought into mating engagement for securing the sock onto the lower leg and comfortably upon the athletic protective equipment and can be disengaged for sock removal. In addition, the sock can be used as a medical compression sock adjustably securable for obtaining the desired tightness, looseness and comfort of the sock on the individual&#39;s lower leg.

This application is a Continuation-In-Part application of application Ser. No. 11/035,351 filed on Jan. 14, 2005.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention pertains to athletic footwear, and more particularly pertains to an athletic sock that includes a fastenable and unfastenable slit that facilitates the stretching and fitting of the athletic sock over the athletic protective equipment disposed on the individual's lower leg and foot.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Shin guards and shin pads are the primary athletic protective equipment in those sports where the primary contention over the physical object that defines the sport is about the players' legs, knees and feet. Such sports include soccer, field hockey, ice hockey and floor hockey. The shin guards and pads predominantly protect the players' shins from being struck during play as such contact can result in cuts, bruises and broken. bones. Shin guards and pads include a foot strap that conforms to the individual's foot and through which the foot is inserted, and one or more flexible straps that encompass the individual's lower leg for securing the shin guard thereto.

Shin guards and pads are generally disposed against the players' lower leg, and are covered by a form fitting and tight fitting sock that extends up to the knee region. The sock is tight fitting in order to assist in maintaining the position of the shin guard or pad on the player's lower leg and over the shin, as any shifting of the guard or pad may expose the player's shin to injury. However, the tight fitting nature of the sock greatly impedes the easy pulling of the sock over the shin guard or pad and considerable effort must be exerted in pulling and stretching the sock over the shin guard and up to the knee area. This is an especial difficulty for youthful athletes that require assistance from their parents in pulling their athletic socks over their shin guards. The difficulty is amplified by the generally awkward angle the parent or adult must take in pulling and stretching the athletic sock over the shin guard. Parental aggravation and frustration is increased if the parent is hurried and must quickly pull the tight fitting sock over the shin guard—often with less than full cooperation from the child.

Thus, the prior art discloses various. types of athletic footwear and equipment for placement and protection on the individual's lower leg and foot.

For example, the Castiglia patent (U.S. Pat. No. 4,306,315) discloses a shin guard that includes a tubular member fitting about the lower leg adjacent the shin of the wearer, and a tapered rigid member that conforms to and protects the fibula of the wearer.

The Jones patent (U.S. Pat. No. 4,669,126) discloses an athletic sock that includes a full-length tubular knit sock fitting on the lower leg and foot of the wearer, and a partial sock fitting over the front of the full-length sock and between which a shin pad is nested.

The Woodson et al. patent (U.S. Pat. No. 5,157,791) discloses a knitted sock that includes a sock portion fitting onto the wearer's lower leg and foot with the sock portion having an upper cuff layer attached thereto. An outer storage compartment sock layer is circumferentially attached adjacent the lower end of the sock portion and when the cuff layer is folded down about the outer storage compartment sock layer, an interior storage compartment for the storage of items is formed.

The Hicks patent (U.S. Pat. No. 5,581,817) discloses a tubular sports sock having an elastic top disposed intermediate of a cuff and the foot portion of the sock. With a shin guard placed against the sock and below the elastic top, the cuff is folded downward over the shin guard past the elastic top and adjacent the foot portion to circumferentially. enclose and hold the shin guard therebetween.

The Lindaman patent (U.S. Pat. No. 5,742,945) discloses a sock for securing the position of shin guards and includes a pair of upper and a pair of lower fasteners for securing the shin guard between the fasteners and to the sock.

The Bear patent (U.S. Pat. No. 5,926,844) discloses an external shin guard strap for holding the shin guard in place and includes at least one pair of straps that are placed contiguous to the athletic sock over and above the shin guard that is enclosed between the wearer's leg and the inner surface of the sock for maintaining the position of the shin guard.

Nonetheless, despite the ingenuity of the above devices, there remains a need for an athletic sock that facilitates the easy and quick disposition of the sock over the shin guards or pads, and easy and quick removal therefrom.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention comprehends an athletic sports sock that facilitates and expedites the process of slipping the athletic sock onto the individual's foot and then stretching the athletic sock over the athletic protective equipment disposed about the ankle and shin region. The athletic sports sock of the present invention is designed to minimize and avoid the struggle of pulling on an athletic sock over shin guards, especially in regard to the struggle every parent has hitherto encountered with pulling a standard tight-fitting athletic sock over the child's shin guard.

Thus, the improved athletic sock of the present invention includes a cuff, a major leg portion, an ankle/shin portion, and a foot portion, and is further defined by an internal surface and an external surface. The sock includes a longitudinal slit that extends from the cuff down to the ankle/shin portion of the sock, and the slit defines an opening that expedites and eases the process of pulling and stretching the sock onto and over the shin guard or shin pad. The slit defines two opposed longitudinal edges with each edge having a strip member that can be fastened to and unfastened from the other strip member for opening the slit to expedite the insertion or removal of the individual's foot into the sock, and for closing the slit after the sock has been stretched up over the shin guard. In addition, the athletic sock can include a zipper for fastening and unfastening the sock halves defined by the slit so that the sock can be placed upon and over the shin guard and lower leg and removed therefrom. The sock of the present invention can also be used as a medical compression sock for the treatment and alleviation of certain medical conditions, especially those that involve lower leg and foot circulatory ailments as well as providing comfort and protection for the lower leg and foot after surgery.

It is an objective of the present invention to provide an athletic sock that facilitates the stretching and fitting of the athletic sock over the athletic protective equipment such as the shin guard or the shin pad.

It is another objective of the present invention to provide an athletic sock that includes features that makes it easier for both parents and children to fit the athletic sock over the athletic protective equipment such as the shin guard or the shin pad.

It is yet another objective of the present invention to provide an athletic sock that saves time and eliminates the aggravation for both parents and children alike when pulling and stretching the athletic sock over the athletic protective equipment during the process of putting on the athletic sock.

It is still yet another objective of the present invention to provide an athletic sock that can be used with athletic protective equipment used in such sports as soccer, field hockey, ice hockey and floor hockey.

Yet another objective of the present invention is to provide an athletic sock that is capable of adjustable securement upon the athletic protective equipment in order to achieve a maximally comfortable fit on the wearer's lower leg.

Still yet another objective of the present invention is to provide an athletic sock that includes features that allow the sock to be used as a medical compression sock for both home and hospital use.

These and other objects, features, and advantages will become apparent to one skilled in the art upon a perusal of the following detailed description read in conjunction with the accompanying drawing figures and appended claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the fastenable and unfastenable athletic sock of the present invention illustrating the disposition of the athletic sock on the lower leg and foot of the individual for encompassing and holding in place a shin guard disposed between the athletic sock and the individual's shin;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the fastenable and unfastenable athletic sock of the present invention illustrating the athletic sock in the unfastened position to facilitate the stretching of the athletic sock over the shin guard;

FIG. 3 is a side elevational view of the fastenable and unfastenable athletic sock of present invention taken along lines 3-3 of FIG. 1 showing the fastening of the opposed edges of the slit of the sock thereby securing the athletic sock to the wearer's lower leg after the sock has been stretched and pulled over the shin guard;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the fastenable and unfastenable athletic sock of the present.invention illustrating an alternative embodiment wherein the sock is used as a medical compression sock;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the fastenable and unfastenable athletic sock of the present invention illustrating the unfastened disposition of the sock when the sock is used as a medical compression sock;

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the fastenable and unfastenable athletic sock of the present invention illustrating a second preferred embodiment of the closure means for the athletic sock that includes a zipper extending down the back of the sock from the upper cuff end to the ankle/shin portion;

FIG. 7 is a partial perspective view of the fastenable and unfastenable athletic sock of the present invention illustrating the zipper closing the sock commencing at the upper cuff end and proceeding toward the ankle/shin portion of the athletic sock; and

FIG. 8 is a rear elevational view of the fastenable and unfastenable athletic sock of the present invention illustrating the longitudinal extension of the zipper along the back of the athletic sock with the zipper closing the sock from the upper cuff end down to the ankle/shin portion.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Illustrated in FIGS. 1-8 is an athletic sock 10 that can be easily and quickly fastened and unfastened for expediting the process of stretching and fitting the athletic sock 10 onto and over a piece of athletic equipment that primarily will be a shin guard or shin pad 12. The athletic sock 10 fits onto the individual's lower leg 14 and fully covers the foot, the ankle, the shin, the shin guard 12 protecting the shin, and is pulled up to the knee area 16. The shin guard 12 conforms to the lower leg 14 of the individual for protecting the shin from injury. The shin guard 12 generally includes a flexible foot strap 18 through which the foot is inserted and which helps to maintain the position of the shin guard 12 on the lower leg 14.

As shown in FIGS. 1-5, the athletic sock 10 of the present invention is a standard stretchable cotton sports sock that includes a foot portion 20 for receiving the individual's foot, an ankle/shin portion 22, and a leg portion 24. An upper end or cuff 26 is pulled up to the knee area 16. The athletic sock 10 also includes a continuous inner sock surface 28 that is disposed contiguous to the individual's foot, ankle, shin and lower leg 14, and a continuous external sock surface 30.

As shown in FIGS. 2, 3 and 5, the sock 10 includes a longitudinal slit or opening 32 that extends downward from the upper end 26 to the ankle portion 22. The slit 32 provides for the opening of the sock 10 to ease and expedite the stretching and fitting of the sock 10 over the shin guard 12 and on the lower leg 14 of the individual. While it is possible for the slit 32 to be horizontally disposed on the sock 10, in the preferred embodiment the slit 32 vertically extends on the sock 10. The slit 32 defines two opposed longitudinal edges 34 that can be brought into contiguous overlapping disposition for closing the slit 32 and securing the sock 10 over the shin guard 12; and the edges 34 can be pulled and moved away from each other during the process of slipping the sock 10 onto the individual's lower leg 14 and for removal of the sock 10 therefrom.

A closure means is positioned at the edges 34 defined by the slit 32, and for attaching and detaching the edges 34 to open and close the slit 32. More specifically the closure means includes two strip members 36 that can be fastened together and unfastened from each other. Each strip member 36 includes a hook and loop fastening. element known by the common trade name Velcro R . More specifically, as shown in FIGS. 2, 3 and 5, one strip member 36 is mounted to the external surface 30 of the sock 10 adjacent one edge 34, and the other strip member 36 is mounted to the interior surface 28 of the sock 10 adjacent the other edge 34. The edges 34 can overlap for facilitating the closing of the slit 32 and for facilitating the attachment or detachment of the strip members 36 to or from each other.

In order to obtain a comfortable fitting of the sock 10 upon the shin guard 12 and on the lower leg 14, the strip members 36 are adjustably securable to each other. Thus the strip member 36 on the external surface 30 of the sock 10 is generally wider than the strip member 36 on the interior surface 30 of the sock 10. This allows for the adjustable positioning and then securement of the interior strip member 36 to the exterior strip member 36 for achieving a comfortable fit on the individual's lower leg 14—so as to comfortably fit either a child or adult—and upon the particular type of shin guard 12 being worn.

FIG. 5 illustrates the athletic sock 10 of the present invention used as a medical compression sock for treating physical ailments such as circulatory ailments. When used as a compression sock, the sock 10 can be used for protecting the foot and lower leg 14 after an injury or surgery. The adjustable securement of the sock 10 allows it to comfortably accommodate any splints or bandages that may be placed on the lower leg 14 and foot, and also to accommodate any swelling occurring in the lower leg 14 or foot.

Illustrated in FIGS. 6-8 is an alternative embodiment for the closure means from that shown in FIGS. 1-5. In place of the attachable and detachable strip members 36 of FIGS. 1-5, the closure means shown in FIGS. 6-8. includes a fastenable and unfastenable zipper 38. The zipper 38 extends downward from the upper cuff end 26 to the ankle/shin portion 22. The zipper 38 is mounted to the rear portion 40 of the sock 10 and includes a slide 42 and a first and a second set of opposed longitudinally extending teeth 44. The extension of both sets of teeth 44 is commensurate with the longitudinal extension of each edge 34 that defines the slit 32 of the sock 10, and each set of teeth 44 is consecutively arranged on and secured to the respective longitudinal edge 34 of the slit 32. The slide 42 is reciprocably movable up and down upon the sets of teeth 44 for fastening the teeth 44 together and closing the slit 32 and securing the sock 10 on the foot and over the shin guard 12 and lower leg 14 and for unfastening the teeth 44 so that the sock 10 can be adjusted or removed. The slit 32 in effect divides the sock 10 into a pair of sock halves 46. Unlike the edges 34 of the sock 10 shown in FIGS. 1-5, the sock halves 46 don't need to overlap to provide for the closing and opening of the zipper 38. The slide 42 engages the teeth 44 arranged along both edges 34 from the upper cuff end 26 and moves down the sock 10 thereby fastening the teeth 44 together, closing the slit 32 and securing both halves 46 of the sock 10 to each other. The slide 42 is pulled upward toward the upper cuff end 26 for disengaging the sets of teeth 44 and thereby unfastening the sock halves 46 either prior to placement of the sock 10 on the individual or for removal of the sock 10 from the shin guard 12 and the lower leg 14.

FIG. 6 shows the zipper 38 in the unfastened state with the edges 34 of the sock 10 spaced from each other thereby disclosing the slit 32 that separates the sock halves 46. FIG. 7 shows the zipper 38 in the fastened state with the slide 42 pulled down along the teeth 44 thereby fastening the teeth 44 together and closing the slit 32 so that the sock 10 is secured over the shin guard 12 and lower leg 14 of the individual. The slide 42 will come to a stop approximately one inch above the sneaker for an athletic sock proportioned to fit a child of about six years of age. FIG. 8 shows the opposed edges 34 of the sock 10 being stretched and brought together at the upper cuff end 26 so that the slide 42 can initially engage the teeth 44 and the upper cuff end 26 of the sock 10 can stretch over the shin guard 12 thereby allowing the zipper 38 to easily and quickly fasten the sock halves 46 together. The slide 42 is then pulled down the length of the sock 10 securing the teeth 44 together and closing the slit 32 whereupon the halves 46 of the sock 10 are brought together and fastened to each other. The athletic sock 10 can be sized for various ages and sizes; for example, for a sock having an overall length of 18 inches, the zipper 38 should be approximately 11 inches, and the 18 inch overall sock length is inclusive of a foot portion that is approximately 6 inches long. Thus, the zipper 38 would be scaled proportionately for each different sock length.

In use the individual would first place the shin guard 12 in position on the lower leg 14 for protecting the shin. The strip members 36 would be separated for opening the slit 32 thereby enabling the easy slipping of the sock 10 onto the foot. The sock 10 would then be stretched over the shin guard 12 and pulled up to a position adjacent the knee region 16. The strip members 36 would then be brought into engagement for closing the slit 32 thus securing the sock 10 in position on the lower leg 14 and upon and over the shin guard 12. The edge 34 having the strip member 36 mounted on the interior surface 28 of the sock 10 overlaps the edge 34 having the exterior mounted strip member 36.

There has been set forth in the drawings and specification a preferred embodiment of the invention, and numerous modifications, alterations and variations may be possible and practicable to those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of the invention or the scope of the appended claims. 

1. An athletic sock for fitting over a shin guard that is worn on a lower leg of an individual, comprising: an upper cuff end, a leg portion, an ankle and shin portion, a rear portion and a foot portion; an external sock surface and an opposite inner sock surface adjacent the lower leg of the individual; a slit extending from the upper cuff end to the ankle and shin portion and defining a pair of opposed longitudinally extending edges; the slit further dividing the sock into a pair of sock halves; a slide disposed on the rear portion of the sock and mounted to one longitudinal edge for reciprocable movement along both edges for closing and opening the slit and thereby fastening and unfastening the sock halves to each other; and two sets of teeth disposed on the rear portion of the sock with each set of teeth consecutively arranged on and secured to each respective longitudinal edge and extending from the upper cuff end to the ankle and shin portion and engagable and disengagable by the slide so that the reciprocable movement of the slide along the both sets of teeth results in the fastening or unfastening of the sock halves in order that the sock can be placed upon the shin guard and lower leg or removed therefrom.
 2. The athletic sock of claim 1 wherein the slide is pulled downward along both sets of teeth from the upper cuff end to the ankle and shin portion for engaging the teeth and fastening the sock halves to each other.
 3. The athletic sock of claim 2 wherein the slide is pulled upward along both sets of teeth from the ankle and shin portion to the upper cuff end for disengaging both sets of teeth and thereby unfastening the sock halves from each other.
 4. An athletic sock for fitting over a shin guard worn on a lower leg of an individual, comprising: an upper end, a leg portion, an ankle/shin portion and a foot portion; an external sock surface and an interior sock surface that is adjacent to the lower leg of the individual; a slit extending from the upper end to the ankle/shin portion and defining a pair of opposed longitudinally extending edges; a closure means mounted along the edges for attaching the edges together and closing the slit thereby securing the sock on the lower leg, and for detaching the edges so that the slit can be opened for removal of the sock; and the edges being detachable from each other so that the slit can be opened for slipping the sock onto the lower leg and then over the shin guard and then the edges being attachable to each other by the closure means thereby securing the sock in position over the shin guard and upon the lower leg.
 5. The athletic sock of claim 4 wherein the closure means includes a pair of strip members with one strip member mounted to one edge and the other strip member mounted to the opposite edge, and the strip members capable of attachment to each other and detachment from each other for closing and opening the slit to facilitate the securement of the sock over the shin guard and on the lower leg and the removal of the sock therefrom.
 6. The athletic sock of claim 5 wherein one strip member is mounted to the exterior sock surface adjacent one edge and the other strip member is mounted to the interior sock surface adjacent the other edge.
 7. The athletic sock of claim 6 wherein the strip member mounted to the exterior sock surface has a width that is greater than the width of the strip member mounted to the interior sock surface.
 8. The athletic sock of claim 7 wherein the strip member that is mounted to the interior sock surface is adjustably attachable to the strip member mounted to the exterior sock surface in order to obtain a comfortable securement of the sock over the shin guard and upon the lower leg.
 9. A stretchable sock for fitting onto the foot and lower leg of the individual, comprising: an upper end, a leg portion, an ankle/shin portion and a foot portion; an external sock surface and an interior sock surface that is contiguous to the foot and lower leg; a slit extending from the upper end to the ankle/shin portion and defining a pair of opposed longitudinally extending edges; a pair of strip members with one strip member mounted at each edge and capable of selective attachment to each other for attaching the edges and closing the slit and for selective detachment from each other for opening the slit; and the strip members being detachable from each other so that the slit can be opened and the sock slipped onto the foot and fitted on the lower leg and over the shin guard and the strip members being attachable to each other for closing the slit and thereby securing the sock over the shin guard and to the foot and lower leg. 